Friends by Mies van Hout
17 Aug, by in Absolute Favorites, Children/Picture Books, European, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific, Translation
Oh, oh, oh ...
BookDragon August 2014
And the Dark Sacred Night by Julia Glass
16 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
If you've never read a Julia Glass novel (2002 National Book Award winner that she is, chances are slim, I suppose), just don't until after you've finished this one. If you have, forget you ever did. Only after the final Dark Sacred page (or last track; if you choose to...
Amulet | Book Six: Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi
15 Aug, by in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese American, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific
The wait is just about over: Book Six hits shelves in just 11 days. Yes, almost two years have passed since Book Five pubbed, but creator Kazu Kibuishi has hardly been resting on his mega-bestseller laurels: that he was the artist chosen to give the legendary...
Happy by Mies van Hout
14 Aug, by in Absolute Favorites, Children/Picture Books, European, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific, Translation
The son woke up blasting Pharrell Williams' "Happy" this morning which prompted me to exuberantly sing praises for this splendiferous book of the same title. Having only recently discovered Mies van Hout's newest Surprise, I'm quickly catching up with her earlier titles and goofily, gleefully adoring them all....
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang
13 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Chinese, Chinese American, Memoir, Nonfiction
Leslie T. Chang’s bio notes her gratitude to her immigrant parents for "forc[ing] her to attend Saturday-morning Chinese school" while growing up outside New York City. That multilingual skill clearly gave her privileged access during the decade she spent as a China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, while that lofty journalist...
The Mystery of Dragon Bridge: A Peach Blossom Village Story by Ann Howard
12 Aug, by in Bilingual, Children/Picture Books, Chinese, Chinese American, Fiction, Taiwanese American
Welcome to Peach Blossom, a faraway ancient farming village known for its peaches and almonds. The inhabitants rely on Dragon Bridge to get in and out, especially during the harvest season when they sell or trade their bounty in the neighboring town. One autumn, disaster occurs: Dragon...
God Loves Hair by Vivek Shraya, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld
11 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Canadian Asian Pacific American, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Indian American, Memoir, Short Stories, South Asian American, Young Adult Readers
Here's a book you just have to hold and feel and breathe in. Although the snapshot of the cover offers a hint of its unique size, not until you're gently flipping through the pages can you appreciate that you're clasping Toronto-based music/performance/literature/film artist Vivek Shraya’s precious little gem. Poignantly...
In Clothes Called Fat by Moyoco Anno, translation by Vertical, Inc.
08 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers
Holy moly, what a difference a book makes ...
The Hunt Series: The Hunt, The Prey, The Trap by Andrew Fukuda
06 Aug, by in Audio, Chinese American, Fiction, Japanese American, Young Adult Readers
So maybe I'm getting older faster, but oh my goodness, I'm surprised this trilogy is rated for kids – ages 12+ and grade 7+! Fair warning from this parent: the violence is graphic, the body count immeasurable, and by the end, most of the main characters...
Mr. Frank by Irene Luxbacher
05 Aug, by in Absolute Favorites, Canadian, Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
Canadian author/artist Irene Luxbacher found the inspiration for her latest title from her own "childhood memories of watching her father at work in his tailor shop." That reality clearly infuses her story with heart-warming poignancy, highlighting multi-generational family bonds. "Mr. Frank was a tailor," the book begins. Throughout the...